Ed Murray/The Star-LedgerGov. Chris Christie is pictured in this April 11 file photo. Documents obtained by the state's Open Public Records Act reveal that law firms with links to Christie have prospered under his administration.

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie took office promising to shake up the political establishment, declaring "change has arrived."

For many well-connected law firms, it is change they can live with.

A Star-Ledger analysis of private firms contracted by the state for legal work from 2008 through 2011 found many with close ties to Christie and his allies have prospered since his election, while those often used by his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Jon Corzine, have lost ground.

"In many administrations, counsel has been the subject of patronage in the same way that other kinds of appointments have been the subject of patronage," said Peter Harvey, who was state attorney general from 2003 to 2006. "So I mean it’s more of the same."

The state Division of Law has long hired private firms to supplement its hundreds of attorneys to help battle lawsuits ranging from medical malpractice to complex financial deals when it has a conflict of interest or needs specialized expertise.

But as firms have moved away from backing only Republicans or Democrats to broaden their appeal for state contracts, getting the work has become more about who you know — and knowing Christie apparently pays very well, documents obtained under the state’s Open Public Records Act show.

Wolff & Samson, for example, earned more than $1.9 million in the first two years of the Christie administration, more than twice its take in the last two years under Corzine. A founding member, David Samson, was counsel to Christie’s gubernatorial campaign. Samson and Jeffrey Chiesa, who was also a partner in the firm, led the governor’s transition team. After taking office, Christie named Samson chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Chiesa his chief of staff. Chiesa is now attorney general.

South Jersey’s largest law firm, Archer Greiner, has earned more than $1 million in additional work so far under Christie. The firm employs a former policy adviser to Christie’s election team, Richard Mroz. One partner and former chairman of the firm, Peter Driscoll, has long served on the board of Cooper University Hospital. The chairman of the board is Democratic powerbroker George Norcross, who has worked with Christie on several of his major initiatives.

WINNERS & LOSERS

An analysis of private law firms used by the state from 2008 through 2011 found many with ties to Gov. Chris Christie have prospered during his first two years in office, while many popular during the last two years under his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Jon Corzine, have seen less work.

ON THE UPSWING:

• Archer Greiner: up $1.09 million

• Wolff & Samson: up $1 million

• Lum, Drasco & Positan: up $974,500

• McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter: up $908,000

• Dughi & Hewit: up $300,000

ON THE DOWN SWING:

• Gibbons: down $1.95 million

• Genova Burns Giantomasi & Webster: down $1.59 million

• Lowenstein Sandler: down $1.28 million

• Carella Byrne: down $425,000

• Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer: down $368,000

Source: Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Law

McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter has made more than $1.1 million so far under Christie, five times its take in 2008 and 2009. The firm offered a soft landing for a friend and former colleague of Christie, Michele Brown, after she resigned in 2009 from the U.S. Attorney’s Office amid a furor over a $46,000 loan she received from him that he did not report on his income tax return or disclosure reports.

About three months later, Christie hired Brown as his appointments counsel. The firm’s managing partner, Edward Deutsch, was on Christie’s transition team and his red tape review commission. Deutsch attributed the spike in state business to the firm taking over contract negotiations with labor unions, a critical focus of the Christie administration.

"If you looked at all the work we do for governmental agencies it’s pretty balanced," Deutsch said, noting the Division of Law numbers do not paint a complete picture. "One decision we made years ago was to not get involved politically, and we’ve been essentially an apolitical firm up until now, other than when the governor asked me to be on his transition committee."

Other beneficiaries of Christie’s rise to power include his former firm, Dughi & Hewit, which has made about $300,000 more in state work, as well as Lum, Drasco & Positan, which has earned nearly $1 million so far under Christie, up from $22,492 in 2008 and 2009. One partner, Wayne Positan, a regular Republican campaign donor, served on Christie’s transition team.

WHO YOU KNOW

Positan said work in a given year fluctuates depending on when a case heats up.

"I don’t think you can tie it to an administration," Positan said. "It’s more case-oriented."

But he conceded that in the legal world, a lot of success depends on who you know.

"When you’re around for a long time and you’re a known quantity because you’ve developed a certain reputation, people think of you when it comes time to give the work out," Positan said.

Officials at the division, overseen by the Attorney General’s Office, strongly deny that giving out legal work is based on political connections. A spokesman for the office, Leland Moore, said firms are selected by a committee through an application and review process, and their ties to Christie are not considered when making a decision.

"Rather, the Division of Law selects the best firm to handle a particular case based on considerations of background, experience and expertise," Moore said.

Only in limited circumstances, he said, like high-profile cases or those with significant policy implications, does the division consult the attorney general or the governor’s counsel. Until November, the division under Christie was led by Robert Hanna, a former federal prosecutor who worked under the governor when he was U.S. attorney.

A spokesman for Hanna, Greg Reinert, and a spokesman for the governor, Michael Drewniak, both deferred comment to the Attorney General’s Office.

Some of the biggest losers in legal work under Christie include Gibbons, whose work has dropped nearly $2 million; Lowenstein Sandler, down $1.28 million; McCarter & English, down $651,000; Carella Byrne, down nearly $425,000; and Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, down $368,000.

A top Democratic lawyer in the state, Angelo Genova, said although his firm Genova Burns Giantomasi & Webster has seen $1.59 million less in payouts for work from the Division of Law so far under Christie, he "has never relied on public sector work to fuel our growth."

LONG STANDING ISSUE

The state’s use of law firms has been criticized for being expensive and ripe for political patronage. In 2002, Republican leaders questioned Samson, then attorney general under Democratic Gov. James E. McGreevey, about his use of private attorneys and whether the work was a reward for political contributions. Harvey was first assistant attorney general at the time.

The McGreevey administration denied politics played a role in its decisions. But directing legal work to friends has historically been a bipartisan perk of the governor’s office, said state Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex), who served as governor for 14 months after McGreevey resigned. "It’s just about the people you’re comfortable with," Codey said.

The Division of Law doled out more than $21.6 million for help from private law firms last year, down from $26.5 million in 2008. Moore said the division now works more efficiently with the people it employs to minimize using outside help.

Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University, said that because Christie made his name as a U.S. attorney, a job that comes and goes depending on a president’s political party, it’s no surprise he would factor politics into legal work for the state.

"You can look at it in the sinister way, that this is cronyism," Hale said. "But clearly it’s all politicians of all stripes that try to get as many people they know and trust and respect and are friends with in places when they have that opportunity."